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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · roll · prune · fall · cap · hand · wave · bore

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. roll — a cake
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. hand — in cards
  5. cap — a lid
  6. hand — help
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cell — a phone
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bore — to tire
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cap — a hat
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. fall — the season
  21. roll — a list
  22. cap — of ice
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bore — to drill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com